The U18 REP Haliburton TimberMart team lit up the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena Oct. 10 with a commanding 8–3
victory over the Newcastle Stars in their home opener.
The game got off to a fast start, with the Storm drawing first blood. At 11:53 of the first period, Chace Comer confidently buried a penalty shot to put the Storm up 1–0. But Newcastle responded quickly with two goals, taking a 2–1 lead into the first intermission.
The Storm regrouped and came out flying in the second. Caleb Manning tied the game midway through the frame, finishing off a feed from Josh Scheffee. Just 49 seconds later, Scheffee took matters into his own hands, scoring unassisted to give the Storm a 3–2 lead. He wasn’t done. Scheffee struck again with 1:11 left in the period, notching another unassisted goal to make it 4–2.
Newcastle managed to claw one back before the break, cutting the lead to 4–3, but the third period belonged entirely to the Storm
They poured it on in the final frame. Jace Mills extended the lead with help from Scheffee and Manning, and just 52 seconds later, Luke Gruppe made it 6–3 off a slick play from Mason Gibson and Deagan Davison. Manning then buried his second of the game, assisted by Mills and Scheffee, and Mills capped the night with his own second tally, with assists going to Manning and Evan Shee.
Goaltender Nolan Taylor was solid between the pipes, making several key saves, particularly during Newcastle’s early surge.
